Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: no Medicaid cuts. But what, exactly, would be a cut?

The health policy nonprofit KFF estimated between 120,000 and 190,000 people in Colorado could lose their insurance, mostly through falling off the Medicaid rolls, over the next 10 years.

The prospect of a work requirement for able-bodied Medicaid recipients is sparking fears. The measure is part of a sweeping federal spending bill supported by President Donald Trump that has cleared the House and is now being considered by the Senate.

Medicaid expansion was a recognition that low-income Americans of all ages need, and deserve, health insurance, and that such a step is essential to a properly functioning health care system. Forcing states to knock down the very health equity foundation they have built would truly be a “shift in kind.

Millions on Medicaid fear losing coverage as Congress weighs new work requirements—sparking concern over real-life consequences.